Here’s what we’ve been doing, and what we’re planning for the nearest future.

The main areas of development are:

1. Graphics. Our graphics team is in the middle of a dramatic revision of our graphics engine. The new engine, still in alpha stage, is both faster and better looking. I won’t get into the technical details, but in a word it’s faster and more streamlined.
From the appearance point of view, the change is equally as dramatic but is easier seen. Colors are calculated differently, especially in terms of distance. I’m attaching some screenshots showing before and after. The colors are not yet tuned, and there are some other issues but we are much happier with the game’s visuals today than we’ve been for quite some time.

2. Sound. As I’ve mentioned earlier, we’re completely redoing our sound engine from scratch. The work is being done in three stages. Stage 1, alpha, where we test basic functionality with some bare-bones samples has been passed a while ago. Stage 2, beta, where we have all aircraft sounds complete, and have some bare-minimum sounds for other objects, is almost here. Stage 3, a complete sound engine with all object and ambient sounds, will follow.
What we have now is brand new DB601, Merlin, Mercury, and Jumo 211 engines in a new environment, infinitely more stable and supporting realistic sounds from dozens or hundreds of engines within hearing distance. Various secondary and tertiary sounds are also there – G loads, flutter, controls movement, etc. The aircraft feel alive, especially when you’re inside the cockpit.

3. Physics. We are doing a major rewrite of some portions of aircraft landing gear physics (i.e. landing, taxi, take-off) as well as major changes to our secondary physics (ships, vehicles, debris, etc).

4. Models. We have quite a few new aircraft variants in the oven, and our ground modeling team has finally finished a major task that perhaps too few people will appreciate. We’ve completed a huge library of historical German rail engines and cars.

Timeline wise, what we’re looking at is a beta sound patch in a minimum of 2 weeks, and at least a week of tests for that. The new graphics will also be included with it. The same upcoming patch will also include some new aircraft and most likely the German trains. Due to all new sounds, it’ll be one of the largest patches so far, but still way under a GB.

We’ve been working very hard on multiple aspects of the game. We are pushing with all our might to have the beta version of the upcoming patch ready… Well, sooner than you might think! If nothing goes wrong, it might even be out this very Friday.

As stated earlier, it’ll contain a beta version of the completely new sound (fewer individual engine models, sparse ambience), revamped color processing algorithms, transparent shorelines, and numerous fixes and improvements. It’ll also contain the Bf-109E-4 and E-4/B and at least one new mid-size online map.

Following that, we have other things in the works. We are finally ready to start knocking out SDKs, with the map making SDK being the first one you’ll see – quite soon, too! We’ll release more details on that, and on the plane-making SDK, after the upcoming beta patch is fully tested and goes live.

We also have a rather cool new major feature almost ready. It’s not going to make this patch. In order to keep the competitors squirming, we won’t say what it is until we’re ready to release it.

With that, here’s a short video showcasing the new WIP sound. It’s recorded on a deprecated version of the patch, after which we’ve toned down the ocean colors and filled in the sounds. The biggest omission is the turbine whine of the Daimler-Benz. Don’t worry, you’ll hear it in the actual patch.

(I didn’t want to make an update without the video, and by the time I finally captured and spliced it together, the game version advanced way ahead. And by the time I make a new video of the sound as it is today, you’ll all be playing it yourselves!)

luthier escribió:We were *this close*, but a last-minute bug found with the new online map (the largest of three) means we have to recompile and rebuild everything – and that means it’s not going to finish today. The bug, for the curios, entailed giant 1500-foot grass suddenly growing all around you at altitudes below 500 feet. Quite a sight to see actually. Almost sad we found it first.

So, barring more botanic discoveries, we’ll have it out no earlier than the end of the day Monday.

Some patch info. The size is 490 MB, 300 of that being the new sounds. The speech sounds are now out in the open by the way, so you can play with them old Il-2 style.

The colors are greatly improved. See attached screenshots.
The new plane-seat selection co-op interface is there, as well as a few more surprises (not the big one though).

BETA NOTE
* RUSSIAN README: Извините, не успеваем перевести!
* ENGLISH README: This readme is only partial;
* SOUND: Still working on the content for the new engine, but many of the features are already present in this build;
* MAPS: No new missions are provided for these in the beta version of the patch.

MAIN
* Drastically reworked graphic algorithms dealing with in-game color;
* Rewrote the sound engine from scratch;
* Added three new multiplayer maps: Steppe (medium), Fields (small), and Scimitar (small);
* Updated multiplayer GUI to allow users to easily select a position in an existing plane.
* Added two new aircraft - Bf. 109 E-4 and Bf. 109 E-4/B. These two are equipped with MG/FF-M cannons and so make use of the famous Minegeschoss.

AIRCRAFT - MAIN
* Reworked routines for gyro bombsights;
* Removed allusion to Engine 4 from He 111 model;
* Improved memory consumption for multi-crew aircraft;
* Airborne status is now checked correctly even if the aircraft in question departed prematurely;
* Landing status should be applied correctly when ditching in water;

VISUALS
* Reworked bombardier cockpits in aircraft so affected (He. 111 and Ju. 8 to accomodate new Lotfe gyro routines;
* Small caliber bullet hits on the ground now show difference in material being hit;
* Modifications in Blenheim's damage visuals;
* Added a range of visual SFX for higher-caliber guns;
* New bombsight visuals in Blenheim bombardier's cabin;
* Returned the famous Il-2 stall sound effect;
* Doubled the distance at which the tracers can be seen.

PHYSICS & A.I.
* Increased Lotfe bombsight gyro operational limit to 15 degrees of aircraft roll / pitch;
* Lotfe type bomb sight now stabilizes aiming platform to horizontal plane;
* Removed sudden jump in view angle when viewing through Lotfe ocular and moving bomb sight elevation for the first time in the flight;
* Increased side slip input limit to +/* 30 degrees for the Lotfe bomb sight;
* Made Kurssteuerung mode 2 for level bombers. This mode will also stabilize the aircraft in level flight;
* Reworked motor startup routines to accomodate new options available in the new sound engine;
* Adjusted ricochet angles on firm surfaces;
* Redesigned bomb sight in Blenheim and made it easier and more realistic to use;
* Blenheim bomb sight plane is now adjustable to reflect changes in plane AoA in level flight. Correction is applied automatically over a period of sustained flight and can compensate up to 3 degree changes in plane attitude;
* Fixed issue where overstress would inflict damage to airframe regardless of the Vulnerability difficulty setting.

NETWORK
* Changes to bombs' detonators setup will now be carried over once applied without the need to rejoin the server;
* Increased Lotfe bombsight gyro operational limit to 15 degrees of roll / pitch. This will give more tolerance to aircraft maneuvers as strict limits put too much obstacle to communication between bombardier and pilot while playing on-line;
* When flying as a bombardier, you should now use "Aircraft - Drop Ordnance (Bombs)" key (instead of "General - Fire Current Weapon" key) to drop bombs. This will remove confusion of on-line bombardier players who could not drop bombs using the key we're accustomed to.

AIRCRAFT - MISC.
* Decreased bombsight altitude indents by ten times. This will give you more control of the altitude input and make bomb sight aiming more precise;
* You can now switch off the boost cut-out control in Spitfires.

We’re just having the hardest time trying to push this patch out. There are technical difficulties that cause occasional crashes to desktop. We hunted down all of the issues caused by the features new in this patch, but we are still facing some old issues with the engine. They are especially apparent on DirectX 9 and Windows XP.

We’re actually going to release another beta version of the same patch tomorrow and see how it’s testing the rest of the week. We’d like to make sure we don’t make the game any less stable with the new patch than it was with the old, or make it run any slower.

Sorry about the wait. We really want to push out the patch and continue improving the game but it’s just never as easy as you hope.

We are generally happy with the updated colors and lighting. The sound is also more mature than in the previous beta.

We are however concerned about stability and performance on various hardware. If you still experience reduced FPS, we want to know your system specs, including graphic driver version and in-game graphic settings.

If you ever experience a crash, we want to see your crash dump! There is a
Cppcrash
Folder under your main game install
([Program Files]\Steam\steamapps\common\il-2 sturmovik cliffs of dover)
Which contains a .dmp file for each game crash.
We’re very interested in those. Please forward them to
ishevchenko (at) 1cpublishing.eu
along with your system specs and the description of what you were doing at the time of the crash.
NOTE: we will be looking at all your crash dumps, but I may not necessarily be able to answer general questions or suggestions (while I do read them all)

Here’s the patch readme:

MAIN
* Drastically reworked graphic algorithms dealing with in-game color;
* Rewrote the sound engine from scratch;
* Added three new multiplayer maps: Steppe (medium), Fields (small), and Scimitar (small), as well as a few basic online missions for them;
* Updated multiplayer GUI to allow users to easily select a position in an existing plane, and to see the number of planes within each side before selecting it;
* Added two new aircraft - Bf. 109 E-4 and Bf. 109 E-4/B. These two are equipped with MG/FF-M cannons and so make use of the famous Minegeschoss.

AIRCRAFT - MAIN
* Bf. 109 E-4 has been equipped with Komandgerat airscrew automation;
* Reworked routines for gyro bombsights;
* Removed allusion to Engine 4 from He 111 model;
* Improved memory consumption for multi-crew aircraft;
* Airborne status is now checked correctly even if the aircraft in question departed prematurely;
* Landing status should be applied correctly when ditching in water;

VISUALS
* Reworked bombardier cockpits in aircraft so affected (He. 111 and Ju. 8 to accomodate new Lotfe gyro routines;
* Small caliber bullet hits on the ground now show difference in material being hit;
* Modifications in Blenheim's damage visuals;
* Added a range of visual SFX for higher-caliber guns;
* New bombsight visuals in Blenheim bombardier's cabin;
* Returned the famous Il-2 stall sound effect;
* Doubled the distance at which the tracers can be seen;
* You will no longer see engine exhaust fires when viewing in a HUD-only cockpit mode;
* Reversed movement of throttle and mix in D.H. 82;
* Fixed distance input error in gunsight for Spitfire and Hurricane;
* Fixed glitch with Bf. 110's prop hub tactical colour band;
* Added spinner colouring to Ju. 88.

PHYSICS & A.I.
* Increased Lotfe bombsight gyro operational limit to 15 degrees of aircraft roll / pitch;
* Lotfe type bomb sight now stabilizes aiming platform to horizontal plane;
* Removed sudden jump in view angle when viewing through Lotfe ocular and moving bomb sight elevation for the first time in the flight;
* Increased side slip input limit to +/* 30 degrees for the Lotfe bomb sight;
* Made Kurssteuerung mode 2 for level bombers. This mode will also stabilize the aircraft in level flight;
* Reworked motor startup routines to accomodate new options available in the new sound engine;
* Adjusted ricochet angles on firm surfaces;
* Redesigned bomb sight in Blenheim and made it easier and more realistic to use;
* Blenheim bomb sight plane is now adjustable to reflect changes in plane AoA in level flight. Correction is applied automatically over a period of sustained flight and can compensate up to 3 degree changes in plane attitude;
* Fixed issue where overstress would inflict damage to airframe regardless of the Vulnerability difficulty setting;
* Fixed an issue where D.H. 82 could retain traction when the engine part was shot off;
* Adjusted head shake level for overspeed effects;
* Increased critical airspeed for Bf. 110 to 650 kph;
* You will no longer suffer certain control difficulties below critical airspeed;
* Removed velocity threshold for leading slats operation;
* Decreased default harmonizing distance for G.50's guns to 200 meters;
* Reworked the way altimeter reacts to pitot icing;
* Lowered the speed at which airframe is defrosted;
* Fixed stuttering movement of He. 111 P's propellor pitch and indicator;
* A.I. artillery gunners will no longer commit suicide by shooting the concrete wall of the bunker they are stationed in.

NETWORK
* Changes to bombs' detonators setup will now be carried over once applied without the need to rejoin the server;
* Increased Lotfe bombsight gyro operational limit to 15 degrees of roll / pitch. This will give more tolerance to aircraft maneuvers as strict limits put too much obstacle to communication between bombardier and pilot while playing on-line;
* When flying as a bombardier, you should now use "Aircraft - Drop Ordnance (Bombs)" key (instead of "General - Fire Current Weapon" key) to drop bombs. This will remove confusion of on-line bombardier players who could not drop bombs using the key we're accustomed to;
* Added new server settings that determine the message format for new air group creation To use, please add a new section to confUser.ini for the regular, or to confs.ini for a dedicated server: [MsgLevel] ActorCreateAlly=1 ActorCreateEnemy=2 , where ActorCreateAlly are the messages for friendly planes, and ActorCreateEnemy for the opposing side, whatever they may be for each player: 0 - No message; 1 - Full message: army, quantity, type, location; 2 - Army, quantity, and type only 3 - Army and quantity only. NOTE: You only need to do this if you run your own multiplayer server.

AIRCRAFT - MISC.
* Decreased bombsight altitude indents by ten times. This will give you more control of the altitude input and make bomb sight aiming more precise;
* You can now switch off the boost cut-out control in Spitfires;
* Corrected a typo where propellor and oil radiator controls for separate engines had increase and decrease key bindings swapped in controls setup panel;
* Fixed keyboard propellor pitch controls getting jammed into a narrow range;